Name: Mince pies & mincemeat
Yield: For 9 small tarts
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients: 250 ml (9 fl oz) brandy or rum (or half sherry, half rum); ½ lemon or Seville orange, juice and zest; 20 g (¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp ground cloves; 115 g (4 oz) shredded suet or butter, frozen and grated; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 115 g (4 oz) soft brown sugar; 175 g (6 oz) stewing apple, in small pieces; 175 g (6 oz) large dark raisins; 50 g (1¾ oz) prunes, pitted and chopped; 50 g (1¾ oz) candied orange peel; ½ tsp ground mace; flour, for dusting; 1 egg yolk; butter, for greasing; 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash; 200 g (7 oz) mincemeat; 175 g (6 oz) currants; 180 g (6 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour; 1 tbsp cold water; 100 g (3½ oz) chilled butter, diced; pinch of sea salt

Preparation info

For
9
small tarts

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Oats in the North, Wheat from the South

By Regula Ysewijn

Published 2020

About

Mince pies are very medieval in their nature. These rich tarts, filled with dried fruits and spices soaked in alcohol, were a status symbol as only the rich could afford these delicacies. Mince pies are filled with mincemeat – minced meat – and that immediately gives us an insight into the history of this tart. There used to be meat in Mince pies, but nowadays only the suet or kidney fat reminds us of the ‘meaty’ history of this pie. Beef was used in the filling, but also veal or ox tongue